Should you buy the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact?

If you're looking for a feature packed smartphone that squeezes plenty of technology into a smaller handset, the 4.6" Sony Xperia Z3 Compact could be the device you need. Almost identical to its full-size brother (the 5.2" Sony Xperia Z3), the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact skimps on nothing but size.

Getting to know the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact

Bearing almost all of the same technology features as its big brother (the Sony Xperia Z3), the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is a powerful smartphone condensed into a trend-bucking 4.6" form factor.

Casing

Made from glass and plastic, the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is built to a very high standard, and includes waterproofing and dustproofing capabilities. Sony has also applied its Omnibalance design ethos to the Xperia Z3 Compact, ensuring the handset is always comfortable to hold.

Jamshed Avari from NDTV does have one warning for potential owners of both this handset and its big brother, the Sony Xperia Z3: "One thing the two siblings do have in common is that their glass backs are so smooth, they both slide around on flat surfaces like air hockey pucks."

Screen

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is fitted with a 720p 4.6" display which displays crisp, clean images. A super-vivid mode further enhances colours to create "hyper-real hues". The screen offers plenty of brightness, making text and images easy to view, even in bright sunlight conditions.
Channel 5's Gadget Show was particularly impressed, commenting that "The screen itself is a stunner, with vibrant colours and excellent viewing angles, while there's hardly any bezel either. For a premium phone you can't get a much better screen than this, even with its lower resolution."

Camera

Just like its big brother, the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is fitted with a 20.7 megapixel camera which performs well, although there are some concerns about the images created under low-light conditions. The rear-facing camera is complemented by a 2.2 megapixel front-facing camera for taking selfies and video calling.

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact captures video footage in native 4K resolution, and also offers 120fps slow motion recording - perfect for when you need to capture a fast-moving subject. The dedicated shutter button also helps to take photos more easily.

Battery

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is fitted with a 2600mAh battery which delivers plenty of power compared to other handsets of a similar size. Sony claims the battery will last for two days between charges, but some reviewers said they had managed almost three without enabling any of the built-in power-saving tools. If you don't always remember to charge your phone, the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact could be a very good choice.

What the critics say (scores are out of 100)

Australian PC World | Tony Ibrahim

Few criticisms could be levelled against the Z1 Compact. The smartphone packed flagship guts into a comfortable 4.3in form factor...Sony has since taken a red pen to the original and made subtle refinements...that inches the succeeding Z3 Compact closer to perfection.The bezel-heavy body, for instance, has been shaved down to such an extent that even with a bigger 4.6in screen, the Z3 Compact stands no taller, is thinner and lighter. Metal has been used for the corners in order to improve rigidity, while the plastic bumpers lining its side are rounded for comfort's sake.

Technically the Z3 Compact is fantastic and despite the occasional issue like with the camera  which we have also experienced on the Z2 and Z3  you'd be hard pressed to find a better Android in 4.6-inch range.

Even a few years on, the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is still a very capable mid-range smartphone. It was arguably the first 'mini' phone that truly lived up to the idea of delivering a flagship experience inside a smaller chassis. Even today its fast processor and incredible battery life make it a pleasure to use.

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact isn't just the best mini phone we've played with this year, it's one of the very best smartphones that money can buy. Packing premium features and specs into a comfortable-to-fondle frame, the Z3 Compact offers an excellent user experience with next to no drawbacks.

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact blends top-end performance, a brilliant camera and shiny new software with solid build quality, an attractive, comfortable design, and waterproofing. The Z3 Compact misses out on the metal chassis of its larger-screened sibling, there's less RAM and the screen isn't Full HD.

By focussing on the areas that really matter, like an impressive camera and superb battery life (for a smartphone), Sony deserves recognition. The Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact are very accomplished Android smartphones that can survive most of what life throws at them.

Sony does it again: Introduces a new model after a couple of months and actually managed to integrate significant improvements over the predecessor. You can obviously have mixed feelings about the product policy and its usefulness, but it is a fact that the Japanese once again produced a great smartphone.

It is an impressive update to the Xperia Z1 Compact and stands out amongst the miniature crowd. The display needs improving and the UI has some issues but overall the small package manages to pack a punch.

The Xperia Z3 compact is great little smartphone offering pretty much everything available on the full-size Z3 (including PS4 Remote Play and High-Res audio) apart from a Full HD screen. The new design is thinner and lighter plus the display is bigger than previously and at its price this is not only the best mini smartphone you can buy, it's one of the best smartphones around.

The camera is easy to use and has lots of customisability, the screen is great for everything from looking at photos and web pages to watching movies and YouTube, there's lots of power and battery life is excellent. I'd have liked to see the screen resolution taken up a notch, but overall this is a pleasingly powerful hand-friendly phone.

However, if you are looking for a feature-packed phone that looks fantastic and performs brilliantly, then you'll be very pleased with the Xperia Z3 Compact. Just don't expect to shoot epic 4K movies with it.

It's hard not to love many aspects of the Xperias Z3s, despite the fact that it took Sony so many iterations to get here. They're the same great products with the same frustrating flaws. The Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact are two of the best choices in a very crowded Android ecosystem.

Sony continues to hit it out of the park with their compact line, giving consumers a fantastic small form factor option, without a trade off in quality or specifications. The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is a small powerhouse with high accessibility and high power, with few compromises.

The smaller and cheaper Z3 is just about the perfect size for a phone while retaining the excellent battery life and performance specs of the outsized flagship handset [Xperia Z3]. Its downsides pale into insignificance when set against the assurance of having a superbly durable, long-lasting, and fast phone that's also a joy to handle and use. There's no other phone like it on the market today.

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is, without doubt, the best compact smartphone available at the moment. It comes with top-of-the-line hardware, a brilliant display, fluid user interface, an incredible camera and delivers punchy performance.

The Xperia Z3 Compact fits top-notch power, battery life, and camera performance into a smooth glass build that's comfortable to use with one hand. It is the best sub 5-inch Android phone available today.

If you want a truly pocket-sized Android smartphone that doesn't skimp on performance, the Xperia Z3 Compact is for you. But if you've been waiting for a truly no-compromise device, you'll need to wait just a little longer.

The Xperia Z3 Compact is the best of the Android minis and even makes a nice alternative to the iPhone 6. For those looking for a small Android phone that's packed with features, this is still a great option, but Sony fans will want to see more innovation from the next instalment.

There isn't much difference between the Z1 Compact and Z3 Compact - a little CPU speed, LTE support, a few camera tricks, a marginally smaller screen, and 1mm of width. Despite all its amazing qualities, the Z3 Compact has a deadly competitor in the form of its own predecessor.

Although it's a disappointment Sony hasn't increased the screen resolution along with its size, and the camera's quirks are rather odd, the Xperia Z3 Compact's improved design, vast amounts of power, decent battery life and waterproof body help it maintain its position as one of the best mini flagships around.

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Photos taken with the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact

We've used Flickr to find a selection of pictures taken by the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact camera. Here is a selection of photos taken by users from around the world so you can see what kind of picture quality you can expect from real-world use of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact.

All images shown are used under the rights and terms specified by the Creative Commons.

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